Life Begins at Eight-Thirty is a 1942 comedy-drama romance film starring Monty Woolley as a washed-up, alcoholic actor, Ida Lupino as his daughter, and Cornel Wilde as her boyfriend.

New York actor Madden Thomas has fallen from grace due to alcoholism and manages to get fired from his job as Santa Claus in a department store on Christmas Eve.

Thomas is offered a main part in a production of King Lear, but gets cold feet because of all the hard work he will have to put in.

Robert visits the doctor who delivered Kathi many years ago, and learns that her foot was damaged when Thomas dropped her when she was only a few months old.

Thomas improves greatly during rehearsals, and the engaged couple decide to wait until after opening night to tell him about their plans to move to Hollywood.

He writes her a letter, urging her to move ahead as planned, then goes directly to Alma's home and accepts her proposal of marriage.

Williams' play was also the basis of a 1962 West German film entitled Life Begins at Eight, which was directed by Michael Kehlmann and starred O. E. Hasse and Johanna Matz.